ANAHEIM : City Approves Bid for Federal Funds

The City Council gave final approval Tuesday to the city’s federal block grant application, which would give the city about $630,000 to fight owners of deteriorating housing.

The money would be used for code enforcement in the Central City, Citron, South Anaheim and Patrick Henry neighborhoods, said Linda Ureno, community development coordinator.

Property owners in those communities would be eligible for low-interest loans for home improvement.

The grant money, if approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, would be spent between July 1 and June 30, 1993.

“We hope with this code enforcement effort, it will interest property owners in obtaining funds to fix any violations in the housing codes they might have and maybe even enhance the property,” Ureno said.

According to HUD, the grant is to benefit low- and moderate-income residents, aid in the elimination of slums and blight, and alleviate serious immediate threats to the community’s welfare.

The city will apply for more than $2.5 million from HUD. Funds included in the grant request include $206,000 for the Police Department’s anti-gang program, $50,000 for an anti-graffiti effort and $400,000 for various street-improvement and neighborhood-cleanup projects.

The grant would also provide $25,000 for the library’s bookmobile program, $25,000 for the Anaheim Boys & Girls Club for anti-gang activities, and $166,000 to build a sound wall between the Manzanita Park neighborhood and the Riverside Freeway. Other, smaller projects would receive the balance.

The anti-gang money would fund two of the six officers who concentrate solely on gang problems, Ureno said.